Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Alabama Shakes - Hold OnAlabama Shakes - You Ain't Alone: These tracks from the album Boys & Girls straddle the best parts of Zeppelin and Blind Melon and bring it all (barely) in to the 21st century. So so so good.

Hot Chip - Flutes (Bruno Be Rework): The first of many remixes from the new album that I am assuredly going to love to pieces.

J Dilla - Requiem ft Allan Barnes of The BlackbyrdsJ Dilla - The Best That Ever Did It ft Jon C, & Allan Barnes of The Blackbyrds: Of the posthumous Dilla releases, these two are my favourites. Really, they are just frameworks for the perfection of the Barnes flute and saxophone tracks.

John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom (Bobby C Sound TV Remix): I love me some JLH, always happy to have a stompy-beat remix of it ready on the go.

Laetitia Sadier - Find Me the Pulse of the UniverseLaetitia Sadier - There is a Price to Pay for Freedom (and it isn't Security): Remember when Stereolab made space-age bachelor pad samba music the hottest thing trucker hats? It was always about the dreamy vocals for me, and Laetita Sadier is back with a solo LP Silencio. Moving in to a triangle defined by Stereolab, Belle & Sebastian and Pink Floyd, this is adult-contemporary music I can jive with.

Matt & Kim - Let's Go: The glee-club band you love to hate is back! While they remind you of the people on youtube that use split screens to play all of the parts of a song in their bedroom studio, they did it with so much more sheen. I haven't heard the new album Let's Go, but oh I can't resist this bubbly pop song

Oh No Ono - Swim (Oh No Shlohmo Remix): The first of 2 Shlomo remixes up this week, this guy is pure gold in my books.

Russian Circles - Mladek: Dark instrumental metalcore from the new album Empros.

The Mynabirds - Body of WorkThe Mynabirds - Generals: If you have ever in the past, are right now, or plan in the future attending anything labelled "Folk Fest", you should really own this fabulous album. Generals covers a lot of folk pop territory and does so with style.

The Weeknd - Crew Love ft Drake (Shlohmo Remix): This was tagged as a Drake track, but uggh, barely. It's all Weeknd, and Shlomo gives it the right rub. Drake, you can take or leave. He's the dude at a 3-way that is suddenly feeling awkward while the 2 other guys get it on righteously.

Three Loco - Neato (Quiet Baby Video Mix): Kids laughing. You know that when you open with kids laughing that the song is going to be great, or at least not take itself too seriously. Then FART BASS. Like, classic amazing blow-the-speakers fart bass. We're off to a good start. And then… Andy Milonakis? Yeah, him. America's answer to Tom Green, and he seems to be paralleling his career pretty well. Green did amazing surrealist work on local public access TV. Milonakis did absurdist videos at the advent of youtube. Green got a shortlived MTV show. I think Milonakis did too... Green snagged an amazing beat in The Sequence's Funk You Up to produce the hit Check the OR with Organized Rhyme, and now Milonakis is here as part of so-bad-its-good group named Three Loco throwing down silly dirty rhymes on a party track. *phew* Someone get this guy a million bucks to make the next Freddy Got Fingered, then put him in a basement to do amazing freeform interviews.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Aaron Freeman - Marvelous Clouds: Ween is over and done! You hit an age too old for the drugs and it becomes time to SOFT ROCK, thank god at least one of them took that advice. An album of Rod McKuen covers? Sure! It's not my bag entirely, but I love the title track, and I can't wait for his future works. (and yes I'm excited about the post-rehab reunion tour!)

Aesop Rock - Crows 1 ft Kimya DawsonAesop Rock - Fryerstarter: Skelethon is blowing shit up left and right. AGAIN, El-P and Aesop each drop a hot album in the same year, and I think Aesop has the edge this time. Kimya Dawson on the chorus! Highly recommended!

Baauer - Harlem Shake: Just some hardcore bass fucking BOOM.

Dirty Projectors - See What She Seeing: After a snoozeworthy start, 2012 is finally exploding with all of the albums I oh so wanted. Swing Lo Magellan IS OUT and it makes me giddy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Ellie Goulding - High For This: The Weeknd are getting some big anme cover action going! I think Goulding is perfect for this.

Feist - Bittersweet Melodies (Christian Strobe Remix): Remember all of those terrible 1-2-3-4 remixes? Yeah, thank god we don't. And this is the chaser that wipes them away for good. Plodding slow grooves!

Jolie Holland - Pure Imagination (Gene Wilder cover): Sounding like pre-bitterness Cat Power, I am shocked shocked SHOCKED more people don't cover this fabulous song. Oh Gene Wilder, we love you. I must go back and watch the children torture-porn that is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music: Along with EL-P, Killer Mike has been… umm… killing mics? Ooooo I see what he did there. CLEVER! Fucking love those synths and the snare hit replaced with a skittery echo. From the hot new album R.A.P. Music.

Kuhrye-oo - Give In (For The Fame): It's a heavy emotional pop song in the clever disguise of a future garage track!

Metric - Lost KittenMetric - Speed The Collapse: Not much needs to be said, I guess. It's a new Metric album, Synthetica. It sounds like the other Metric albums. It's pretty enjoyable, but probably won't change your life. Unless your life-change bar is pretty low, in which case hey go right ahead and change away. But it might be nice to be able so sing along when you inevitably see them in the next year at every single festival.

MrDMBeats - Back From The Dead: Sometimes I just want some pleasant breakbeats…

Public Enemy - Get Up Stand Up ft Brother AliPublic Enemy - Most of My Heroes Still... ft Z-Trip: PE are BACK! They overcome the pitfalls of past comebacks: focus more on the beats, less on the fatherly preaching. Less of Flava Flav's homophobic rants, more awesome guest spots. You should buy Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear On No Stamp just out fucking respect.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Evan Caminiti - First Light I: The new album Night Dust is filled with ecstatic acoustic ambient textures and is highly recommended!

Fiona Apple - Anything We WantFiona Apple - Every Single Night (Its Overture Remix)Fiona Apple - Every Single Night: You know if you told me back in the 90s that in 2012 I'd be listening to PJ Harvey and Fiona Apple, I'd probably have spat in your face. But here we are, with some of the most mature albums of our days. The new Fiona Apple is the appropriately lengthy "The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do ", but you'll probably just shorten it to Idler Wheel. I've only heard a few tracks, but omg already HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Helios - Nothing it Can: Reverbed guitar and piano are nothing new, but the new album Moiety has a few standouts, especially if you're in love with the Pop Ambient stylee.

Hot Chip - Let Me Be HimHot Chip - Night & Day (Kool Roskii's Sir-Fix-Alot Remix): While I wasn't in to the zany new single, I'm loving this new track off the new album In Our Heads. I'll have to give the new LP a listen eventually. In the meantime, I'm all over this empathic electro groove. Oh and hey a bouncey D&B version!

Lemolo - Open Air: It's a great little pop rock song, but something about it screams that it needs a dubbed out rework. Get on that!

Noisia & Phace - ImperialNoisia - Tryhard: I am not normally a Noisia fan, but every one in a while I just have to indulge. The production levels of the 2012 techstep world are so many lightyears ahead of the 90s, it's kind of insane. Enjoy the crazy bass.

Noonie Bao - Do You Still Care: Sometimes, yes, earnest dramapop!

Purity Ring - Fineshrine: Another fabulous Purity Ring track! The most exciting Canadian singer of 2012 so far, and that's some steep fucking competition. Chomp at the bit for the new album Shrines like the rest of us.

Tallest Man on Earth - Revelation Blues: Not to overly gush SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM in one single post but omg people, get There's No Leaving Now. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - I Can't Take It Anymore (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST)Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Splinter (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST)Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Karen O - Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin cover) (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST): If you're like me and appreciate a lush soundtrack album, then defintely check The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It's long and deep and very satisfying. And having Karen O (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Where The Wild Things are fame) cover Zeppelin is a great touch, too.

When I got rid of many of my tapes I was sure to digtize them beforehand. GOOD ON YOU, CAITLYN!
Yes indeedy, because I just discovered the hard drive where I had recorded a few old rave tapes from DJs hailing from Ottawa and Toronto. I wish I had digitized them all, but if you have any tapes that fit the bill let me know and maybe I can help get them online.

Most of this is gabber/hardcore/speedcore, but Rob Solo brings the best of the booty house!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Alpine - Hands: The harmonies are wonderful, like ABBA for the modern age.

Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Want It Back: After ditching the majors for selling albums via Kickstarter, Ms Palmer is back with flair and we couldn't be happier.

Archers of Loaf - Harnessed in Slums: A BLAST FROM THE PAST, but Archers are re-releasing remastered versions of their classic albums. If you do not have these albums, get on it now. Some of the best from the indie-grunge 90s rockouts. These are riffs to give you shivers in your final days.

Beck - I Only Have Eyes For You (Ben Selvin cover): One of my ultimate crooner classics, but oh I just think of the old dude sitting at the back of the bus singing it softly while we wonder what the state of reality currently is…

Dubbel Dutch - Throwback: A total banger that will fit perfectly in any mix. I've been loving these slamming breakbeat tracks that come off more as tools, as they allow me to do so much with them.

Haim - Forever: I'm getting some great 80s rockout vibes on this one. I picture fog machines, permed hair, and the best damn music video on Much Music for 1988.

Mark Foster, A-Trak & Kimbra - Warrior: I came for the A-Trak, and stayed for the best crossover pop hit since Dragonette came around.

Maya Jane Coles - Not Listening: Some more gorgeous mjc SMOOTH business. An exclusive from her DJ-Kicks album.

Paper & Places - To Berlin: This kind of sums up the state of indie pop for the past 5 years. And it is good.

Poliça - Amongster: The vocal effects all over the new album Give You the Ghost might tire you a bit as well, but there is much lusciousness to found within. Bon Iver can't have all the fun.

Shackleton - Music for the Quiet Hour Part 1: Shackleton's Music for the Quiet Hour is an ambitious double-set (deluxe edition) and while kudos for travelling the soundscape land, this work isn't as succesful as someone like say, Amon Tobin. My favourites are still the dark tabla-driven beats, and I look forward to where this new sound goes.

Sharon Van Etten - Warsaw: Another great song from the rather delightful album Tramp.

Why? - Sod In The Seed: Why? Kicks it like Oatkast's Hey Ya is still rocking the airwaves! From the new Sod In The Seed EP.

Monday, July 9, 2012

*waves*
Hi everyone coming here from Ubu and WFMU!
I wanted to point out that this blog is a bit eclectic, so in addition to the "digitized albums" tag that you are probably browsing right now, you should also really check out:

The mixes are a wide variety of music, from chillout beats to dancey pop, all with nods to the underground and wonderfully mixed.
The mp3 blog is a weekly .ZIP file for ease-of-download of all sorts of amazing new stuff.

I am so happy to have this one up on my record wall! Stag records, records for dudes to sit around and circle-jerk each other that were released in the 60s, are hard to come by. And this is one of the few lesbian-themed ones! Ahhh nothing likes 1960s dudes writing a script for a lesbian fantasy porn. Totally classic.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Have you noticed a lack of updates around here?SO HEY YEAH WE WENT AND HAD A BABY.She'll be a week old tonight just after midnight!

So here I sit with a sleeping baby in my lap preparing this blog with one free hand.During nap periods I also have been prepping some old vinyl I digitized way-back-when, and if you following djcpi.blogspot.com you will see those get posted up there over the next few weeks.But onwards to the music!

Oh and this edition is dedicated to Andrew B, who sent me a fantastic book on Chinese artist Ding Yi. Woot!

Perfume Genius - No Tear: Another fabulous song from the highly recommended new album Put Your Back N 2 It.

Postiljonen - Rivers: Sometimes melancholy is so rich it brings me to ecstatic smiles. Someone needs to make a movie just to have this as the climactic soundtrack.

Samuel Lockridge - HangmanSamuel Lockridge - Heart of SilkSamuel Lockridge - When I Rise: OK so I wasn't totally in to the new album When I Rise as I hoped I would be. I admit it. It reminded me of Damien Rice doing traditional Americana folk. But there are some great tracks on here. OK ad mit it, does Hangman sound like Leonard Cohen's Suzanne???? Yes totally. And I definitely had to tack on the choral reprise of "When I Rise" here...

Silkken Laumann - House Of Common Problems: THIS SONG IS AMAZING. The backing music isn't going to blow you away with its earnestness, but on top of it all we have Ottawa powerhouse Rolf Klausner and his genius lyrical stylings. You might remember him from the band The Acorn, another band whose propensity for panty-wetting poetry rivals only Leonard Cohen. Klausner will be this generations true Canadian Classic. Also, check the video for this song featuring some of my favourite spots in the city!

Sylvain Chauveau & Ensemble Nocturne - Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode cover): I found Sylvain Chauveau through his more contemporary and avant vocal recordings, but oh I had to go and include this great cover from his album of Depeche Mode reworks.

Symphony of Science - Ode to the BrainSymphony of Science - We Are Star Dust: Thanks to Duncan A for messaging me a reminder about this album! If you're like me and have total crushes on Neil Degrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan (RIP), and Sir David Attenborough, then this album is for you. It doesn't work in the perfect way a song is supposed to work, but works as an amazing to review how brilliant and wonderul our world is, and how science lets us learn more about it. Dear America, if you all think dinosaurs walked with humans and scientific scepticism is some great evil, ya'll are fucked.

The Decemberists - June Hymn (live)The Decemberists - The Infanta (live): A live album is a great way to kill time between real releases! This one, We All Raise Our Voices to the Air (Live Songs 04.11-08.11), is pretty much for Decemberists converts only, but for those of us that can raise our hands to that will definitely love it.

Theophilus London - Big Spender ft A$AP Rocky: CLOSE IT OUT WITH A DOUCHEBAG BANGER!